Engineering company Ramboll is technical advisor for ESO’s E-ELT

ESO is building the world’s most advanced telescope, the E-ELT ( European Extremely Large Telescope) and has hired the Danish company Ramboll to provide consulting services. Ramboll is contracted to assist ESO with contract management, technical specifications and procurement documents for the construction of the E-ELT’s dome and main structure.

ESO’s largest contract The contract for constructing the dome and the main building is the largest ever offered by ESO, and therefore the tender requires special expertise. The project was launched in May 2013, and the contract agreement is running for a minimum of 5 years, with the option for an extension of up to 9 years depending on ESO’s needs.

The tender includes not only the 100-diameter large telescope building, which is the size of the Coliseum in Rome, but also the high precision components that make up the telescope assembly and pipes. In addition to ESO's own efforts, Ramboll will provide expert advice to ensure that the contract covers all necessary considerations.

- This is an extremely ambitious project with colossal challenges, both technically and from a planning perspective. We are proud to have been chosen as consultant for the project, and we regard it as a tribute to our competences. We see it as a great opportunity to further develop our skills within the field of ‘Big Science’”, says Lars Ostenfeld Riemann, Group Director at Ramboll.

From the start, Ramboll concentrated on developing the tender documents in collaboration with ESO prior to the tender process. Furthermore, Ramboll has extensively studied the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety of the entire facility.

The E-ELT searches for life in our universeAs consultants, Ramboll is playing an important role in a very large Big Science project. The construction of the E-ELT telescope will make it possible in 10 years’ time for astronomers to search for planets where life may exist.

The telescope will enable astronomers to identify galaxies more than 13 billion light years away, or search for life on planets around other stars in our galaxy – The Milky Way. The telescope will be constructed on a mountain top in the northern part of Chile and is expected to make its first observations in 2023.